Five rolls of Okawara paper were ordered from Hiromi for the project, and the scrolls are now completed and are being taken to Bermuda next week for unveiling and exhibition there at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute on Thursday 20th September at 6.00pm.

The Sargasso Sea flows around the island of Bermuda in the Atlantic and is host to a wide variety of endemic and endangered sea species. The scrolls have been made to raise awareness for both Pyramid Atlantic and the Sargasso Sea Alliance – which is striving to protect the Sargasso Sea and its associated marine species under international law.

The idea was conceived by 2 board members of Pyramid Atlantic, Marti Ittner and Jenny Freestone. Artists from around the world were approached and ask to submit drawings of some of the marine species that live in, or make use of, the Sargasso Sea. The scrolls comprise a set of 3 panels of Okawara paper, each 2’6′ wide by 8′ high

Under the direction of Gretchen Schermerhorn, Artistic Director at Pyramid Atlantic, photographic images of the sargassum weed have been digitally printed on gold on each panel. The artists’ drawings have been converted to digital images, and screenprinted onto the panels. The scrolls are in an edition of 5. Six portfolios, each containing containing a full set of each marine species (on Okawara) are also under production.

If interested in purchasing or for further information, please contact Pyramid Atlantic!

Takaoka Ushi was the first paper makers to ever invent a paper-making machine in 1957; which is still used to this day. It is often said that handmade paper is better in quality than machine made ones, which is accurate, but these machine made papers by Takaoka are of excellent qualities, resembling those of handmade papers. Continue reading “Behind the paper: Takaoka Ushi”

I was introduced to a roll of Shiramine washi paper over ten years ago and I have used it ever since. This paper has extended my work in many directions and challenges me to create my prints (works on paper) innovatively. The rolls of paper allow me to work large. My over-sized prints are composed by joining together a few or many sections of the Shiramine. This process helps me to create my prints three dimensionally or even four dimensionally. Before I make any matrices (materials to be printed from), I start composing papers, thinking about the overall size, flow of energy, dynamics, physicality and presence of the work based on my concept. I put the sections of blank papers up in place (on a wall or sometime on a floor for a floor installation work.) In my mind, I can see my images, which I haven’t even printed yet. It is a most critical stage in my creation process. If I can see the image, I feel that the work is already successful.

The next stop was to a paper mill that was brand new to Hiromi Paper, Nai Gai Tengucho Paper, Ltd. Owned by two sisters, Nai Gai specializes in machine made Tengucho. Like the Shikoku Wagami machine made Gampi mill, we learned here again that machine made paper still takes a large amount of time to prepare by hand. The kozo fibers are cooked and cleaned by hand. Then, setting Tosa Tengucho apart from everywhere else, a specially made stainless steel basket (koburi) is used in water to separate the fibers and clean them even further.

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